DAREDEVIL: REBORN written by Andy Diggle with art by Davide Gianfelice (Marvel Comics, July 2011) Hardcover, 112 pages. ISBN # 0785132X / 9780785151326
Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .
The apocalyptic events of SHADOWLAND have left the once-proud legacy of Daredevil in tatters. Now, far from the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen, a new evil is rising, and the only man crazy enough to face it is a man with nothing left to lose. The road to Hell was paved with good intentions, but the long road to redemption is the far harder path...
My Three-And-One Half Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Of the three collections I have read of Andy Diggle's short-lived and unmemorable run on the Daredevil series, this is by far the best. It reminds me a bit of the good work he did with DC's The Losers. Without a plethora of superheroes, villains, and massive amounts of ninjas to deal with (the Shadowland storyline in Daredevil) Diggle gets some space to give singular focus to the hero and get into his make-up more.
After the evil version portrayed in Shadowland, work needed to be done to restore Daredevil to his proper role and place in the Marvel Universe. Even though Matt Murdock hangs up the DD uniform and leaves town at the end of Shadowland, there is no way that Marvel would allow a prominent character to be absent for too long. DAREDEVIL: REBORN serves as the transition story that allows Matt Murdock to search his soul and make the decision to renew his purpose and mission.
We've seen this story before, most notably in westerns and this series definitely has a western feel to it: a grifter/wanderer (Matt Murdock) strolls into a small town (in the New Mexico desert), befriends a young boy (in this case, they share blindness), uncovers corruption in the local law enforcement (a guns for drugs exchange program) and in vigilante fashion cleans up the mess. Diggle didn't try to reinvent the wheel, and tapped a proven formula to get DD back on solid ground.
Whether or not it becomes a worthwhile story depends on how it is told, how much detail and characterization goes into it. Although predictable, I did enjoy this. It certainly helped to have Davide Gianfelice on art. Facial expressions and reactions are perfect, and the fight scenes are inventive and creative. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
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